President Trump's Fourth of July "Salute to America" event last year cost over $13 million, according to an estimate released Thursday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent agency watchdog.
Why it matters: Estimated costs for Independence Day events on the National Mall in 2016, 2017 and 2018 ranged between $6 million to $7 million, per GAO.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Thursday reopened an inquiry into the August 2019 death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after a violent confrontation with police.
Why it matters: The executive order comes after mounting pressure from Black Lives Matter activists who elevated McClain's case after months of inaction. Thursday's move directs state Attorney General Phil Weiser to investigate McClain's death and pursue charges as he sees fit.
America's great economic reopening is hitting a major snag, just like the public health experts warned.
Why it matters: Confirmed case counts are soaring to the point where Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pausing the state's reopening and canceling elective surgeries to stockpile PPE.
The Trump family's attempt to block the publication of a forthcoming tell-all book by the president's niece was blocked on Thursday by a New York City judge, AP reports.
Driving the news: "She's not allowed to write a book," Trump told Axios' Jonathan Swan this week, referring to Mary Trump, the daughter of Fred Trump Jr., the president's deceased oldest brother. "You know, when we settled with her and her brother, who I do have a good relationship with — she's got a brother, Fred, who I do have a good relationship with, but when we settled, she has a total ... signed a nondisclosure."
Crises always hit the poor worse than the rich. The art world, however, might be an exception. Museums and galleries are struggling, but street-level artists are more visible then ever.
Why it matters: Street art has been recognized as an important part of art history for decades, and it has always been political-with-a-small-p. The current protests, however, have elevated the art form to a fully-fledged political force.
Country group Dixie Chicks changed their name Thursday to simply The Chicks due to the word's connection to a Civil War-era song linked to the Confederacy.
Why it matters: It comes amid a nationwide cultural shift, which has seen governments, companies and individuals around the country rethink names and symbols with links to racism.
Joe Biden is using one of his rare in-person events today to criticize President Trump's comments about COVID-19 testing during a speech about the Affordable Care Act in Pennsylvania.
Driving the news: Biden will argue that Trump cares more about his political fortunes than Americans' health, saying that "he thinks finding out that more Americans are sick will make him look bad."
Disney will rebrand the popular ride Splash Mountain at its theme parks in Florida and California because of its connection to the racist 1946 film, "Song of the South," the company announced Thursday.
Why it matters: It comes amid a nationwide cultural shift, which has seen governments, companies and individuals around the country rethink names and symbols with links to racism.
Discussions at the White House on the Trump administration's plan on how to handle possible Israeli annexations in the West Bank ended with no final decision, a U.S. official told me.
Why it matters: The fact there is no firm decision yet signals that the White House has decided to take a more cautious approach toward the issue. U.S. officials told me that talks with the Israelis will continue, but it is going to take more time.
Major infrastructure projects have been put on ice, economic development programs are getting the ax, and workers are losing their jobs.
Why it matters: These are the realities for localities dealing with multimillion-dollar budget holes while also continuing to pour money into COVID-19 response as cases spike.
Cities should ease rigid permitting and zoning rules to help businesses and residents recover during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a trio of policy briefs out today by researchers at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Why it matters: They are among the dullest City Hall tasks, but these decisions determine significant outcomes such as where housing can be built and whether restaurants are allowed to open in a particular neighborhood.
Why it matters: The states — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina — were all won by Trump in 2016 and were instrumental in his Electoral College victory.
Democrats are trying to make a virtue of necessity by modernizing the rusty convention format for a mostly virtual gathering in Milwaukee in August, with up to 1,000 people in real life but extensive use of videos and remotes.
What's planned: The program will be shorter — 8 to 11 p.m. ET over four nights, instead of starting at the traditional 4 or 5 p.m. And there'll be fewer speeches, with a mix of live and taped segments from around the country.
Part of Axios' ongoing conversation about inclusion is how we use language. This week, we began capitalizing Black when referring to people or communities who identify as Black.
There's a growing desire within Black communities to reflect Black culture, and acknowledge the fact that not all who identify as Black are from Africa or have descended from people from Africa.
Congress' efforts to revise the legal shield that protects online platforms from lawsuits over user posts and content moderation entered a new phase this week, as members of both parties pushed new and existing remedies for their grievances.
The state of play: For a while, this debate looked to be splintering along partisan lines, with President Trump calling for its repeal on Twitter and claiming it lets tech companies censor conservatives. But changing the law will depend on winning support from both sides of the aisle.
Why it matters: Because the federal government has an actual stake in this vaccine, it could try to make the vaccine a free or low-cost public good with wide distribution, if the product turns out to be safe and effective.
Liberal democracy is at risk from the coronavirus pandemic, warns an open letter signed by prominent figures including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, ex-Trump national security adviser H.R. McMaster and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R).
Details: The letter, also signed by Nobel Prize winners and current and former leaders from around the world, notes democratically elected governments are "amassing emergency powers that restrict human rights and enhance state surveillance," with little oversight.
The National Guard was activated on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin in response to anti-racism protesters' attempts to topple statues.
Driving the news: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) took the action after unrest in Madison on Tuesday night saw demonstrators pull down two statues and hurl a "Molotov cocktail into a government building" in a bid to enter the state Capitol, per AP. State Sen. Tim Carpenter said he was assaulted by protesters as he filmed the unrest.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) on Wednesday pushed Cathy Slemp, the state's public health commissioner, to resign hours after Justice publicly questioned the accuracy of coronavirus data in the state, NBC News reports.
Why it matters: Roughly a dozen West Virginia counties are seeing their case counts grow. Justice said he expressed a "lack of confidence” in Slemp to the secretary West Virginia's health department, who subsequently asked for and received Slemp's resignation, according to a statement.
The chief of police in Tucson, Arizona, offered to resign during a news conference on Wednesday in which the department released video of a Carlos Adrian Ingram Lopez, 27, who died in police custody.
What he's saying: "We have determined that three involved officers committed multiple policy violations and failed to handle the incident consistent with their training," Chief Chris Magnus said, stressing the officers did not "deploy strikes, use chokeholds or place a knee" on Ingram-Lopez's neck" during the April incident.
